Matthew L. Holford and Keith J. Stringer
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748632787
- eISBN:
- 9780748651405
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748632787.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This book examines the organisation of power and society in north-east England over two crucial centuries in the emergence of the English ‘state’. England is usually regarded as medieval Europe's ...
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This book examines the organisation of power and society in north-east England over two crucial centuries in the emergence of the English ‘state’. England is usually regarded as medieval Europe's most centralised kingdom, yet the North East was dominated by liberties — largely self-governing jurisdictions — that greatly restricted the English crown's direct authority in the region. These local polities receive here a comprehensive discussion; and their histories are crucial for understanding questions of state formation in frontier zones, regional distinctiveness, and local and national loyalties. The analysis focuses on liberties as both governmental entities and sources of socio-political and cultural identification. It also connects their development and their communities with a rich variety of forces, including the influence of the kings of Scots as lords of Tynedale, and the impact of protracted Anglo-Scottish warfare from 1296. Why did liberties enjoy such long-term relevance as governance structures? How far, and why, did the English monarchy respect their autonomous rights and status? By what means, and how successfully, were liberty identities created, sharpened and sustained? In addressing such issues, this study extends beyond regional history to make significant contributions to the ongoing mainstream debates about ‘state’, ‘society’, ‘identity’ and ‘community’.Less
This book examines the organisation of power and society in north-east England over two crucial centuries in the emergence of the English ‘state’. England is usually regarded as medieval Europe's most centralised kingdom, yet the North East was dominated by liberties — largely self-governing jurisdictions — that greatly restricted the English crown's direct authority in the region. These local polities receive here a comprehensive discussion; and their histories are crucial for understanding questions of state formation in frontier zones, regional distinctiveness, and local and national loyalties. The analysis focuses on liberties as both governmental entities and sources of socio-political and cultural identification. It also connects their development and their communities with a rich variety of forces, including the influence of the kings of Scots as lords of Tynedale, and the impact of protracted Anglo-Scottish warfare from 1296. Why did liberties enjoy such long-term relevance as governance structures? How far, and why, did the English monarchy respect their autonomous rights and status? By what means, and how successfully, were liberty identities created, sharpened and sustained? In addressing such issues, this study extends beyond regional history to make significant contributions to the ongoing mainstream debates about ‘state’, ‘society’, ‘identity’ and ‘community’.
Sarah Foot and Chase F. Robinson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780199236428
- eISBN:
- 9780191863349
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199236428.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
How was history written in Europe and Asia between 400–1400? How was the past understood in religious, social, and political terms? And in what ways does the diversity of historical writing in this ...
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How was history written in Europe and Asia between 400–1400? How was the past understood in religious, social, and political terms? And in what ways does the diversity of historical writing in this period mask underlying commonalities in narrating the past? The volume tackles these and other questions. Part I provides comprehensive overviews of the development of historical writing in societies that range from the Korean Peninsula to north-west Europe, which together highlight regional and cultural distinctiveness. Part II complements the first part by taking a thematic and comparative approach; it includes chapters on genre, warfare, and religion (amongst others) which address common concerns of historians working in this liminal period before the globalizing forces of the early modern world.Less
How was history written in Europe and Asia between 400–1400? How was the past understood in religious, social, and political terms? And in what ways does the diversity of historical writing in this period mask underlying commonalities in narrating the past? The volume tackles these and other questions. Part I provides comprehensive overviews of the development of historical writing in societies that range from the Korean Peninsula to north-west Europe, which together highlight regional and cultural distinctiveness. Part II complements the first part by taking a thematic and comparative approach; it includes chapters on genre, warfare, and religion (amongst others) which address common concerns of historians working in this liminal period before the globalizing forces of the early modern world.